


Life with monsters

by liese



Series: Life with monsters [1]
Category: Bakemonogatari
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-08
Updated: 2017-07-08
Packaged: 2018-11-29 09:27:24
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 613
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11437968
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/liese/pseuds/liese
Summary: Perhaps the first of a series of drabbles concerning the untold events from Acerola Bon Appétit (Wazamonogatari).





	Life with monsters

She arrived, as usual, when midday struck.  
She had told her countless times.  
She had begged her every time she marched in without knocking at the door.  
But countless times she had ignored her words, and every time she had returned – her hand carrying a tray with food especially cooked for her.

The princess sighed at that all too familiar sight: she looked like a ghost, rather than a vampire. Because she knew the sunlight was to her like a blazing curse, the curtains were drawn on the small windows of her room. The candles cast a trembling light, but the dim twilight was not enough to conceal the other’s exertion. Yet, before she could speak out loud her concerns, the vampire boisterously announced what was on the menu that day – she had to admit, though, the fact she knew how to prepare human food came as quite the surprise.

“There was no need for you to prepare all of this.”  
“Of course there was.”  
_I go back to sleep_ , she said; _in my coffin_.

Acerola couldn’t even bring herself to retort to that statement. However Suicide-Master only advanced a few steps: her legs bent as though the weight of her body was too much to carry, and she fell with such a light thump that, hadn’t she seen it, she wouldn’t have noticed her still body. Her body, or her corpse – her heart had jumped to her throat, and she fretted, rushing to her.

“Suicide-Master?”  
No answer. She placed her ear against her chest, searching for a beat, before she held her shoulders and gently shook her.  
“Suicide-Master –?”  
“Gh – shut up.”  
“Oh. This is a relief.”

She was just asleep. Deep asleep, not dead asleep. Acerola let go of her – it was the very first time she had touched her, although it felt like grasping thin air. As if she was barely there. As if she was slipping away. Light, so light – almost frail. Perhaps death nestled in her empty stomach, and she who should have devoured her, was being devoured instead. But she was a vampire, she was immortal. And she had promised her.

_No one else will die._

As if every death of hers didn’t weigh on heart –  
Every time she was lighter, every time she was heavier.

With little effort she managed to carry her body and lie it onto the bed, her head resting on top of a soft pillow and her body tucked beneath warm blankets. It was such a novel sight, that face of hers bared of her gruesome grin – actually, it was a beautiful sight. Had she told her, she would have reminded the princess of her blood-lusting, monstrous nature; she would have reminded she was going to eat her, munching on her flesh and gnawing at her bones, gorging on her innards and swallowing her blood to the last, honeyed drop. Somehow, she was not afraid; it was only fair, she thought. Something beautiful and violent ought to be killed by something as beautiful and as violent.

Supper turned cold but she ate everything on that tray. Then she carefully braided her gold-weaved hair, and she, too, lay down in bed: because she never listened, or she never let her talk, or open her mouth even, she could never tell that their lessons in the dead of night caused her to sleep throughout the morning and the early afternoon. Because Suicide-Master relentlessly endured and carried on her duties, bringing her lunch every day at midday, Acerola would wake up to eat, so that her effort and struggle wouldn’t be in vain.

She really should tell her.

Even though she scorned her care for her.


End file.
